Romance Sub-genre(s): Open door contemporary
Steam Level: I would put them at 4 🌶️
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Describe yourself in three words.
Tired, disciplined, funny
What are three fun facts about you?
I have 8 tattoos.
I am afraid of the ocean.
I could talk for hours about the Ninja Turtles.
What do you do for fun when you aren’t writing?
I like to paint, but I also take Jiu Jitsu classes with my oldest son.
How did you discover writing as a possible career?
Long story short, after my second son was born, I started telling myself bedtime stories so I could fall asleep. After a while, I wrote them down and developed them into full length novels.
How did you choose your pen name?
It’s a combination of my middle name and the lead singer of my favorite band, Alice In Chains.
Where do you find inspiration for your stories?
They come from all over. It can be something as mundane as checking my mail (how my first novel came to be), or it can be as complicated as piecing together a dream.
What trope is your favorite to write?
I haven’t found a favorite, but my last novel was enemies-to-lovers and it was super fun.
What is your favorite thing about being an author?
I love seeing people read my books. Whether or not I get paid for it, I’m just happy that something I created is making someone happy, even if it’s temporary.
What is your writing process?
When an idea hits me, I Iet it stew for a little while, maybe a couple days. Then I’ll figure out the characters and their initial profiles. I might even write a scene if one has developed, but usually I’ll do a brief outline. Basic scenes and what not until I feel like I have a cohesive idea and I begin writing.
What time of day are you most creative?
I like to write during the day, usually late morning to early afternoon. I write sometimes in the evening but I’m so tired by then, I’m not as productive.
What is your ideal writing environment?
My quiet house. I like to be alone because I tend to talk out loud to myself. I have to be in the mood to listen to music because it can be very distracting for me.
As an author, what challenges do you face?
Marketing. It’s the worst because you have to do it all the time, and if you don’t post correctly then no one sees it. It’s so frustrating.
What is your least favorite part of being an author?
Again, marketing.
If there was one thing you could change about the writing/publishing industry, what would it be?
The drama with people hating on different genres. I’m not a fantasy person, but I don’t go out and bash someone who is. Likewise, I write spice and I get that not everyone likes it, but the hate romance authors get for writing “porn” is absurd.
It’s just like with anything, if you don’t like it that’s fine, but don’t ruin it for those who do.
What advice would you give aspiring authors?
Read as much as you can in your genre. You can learn a lot from good authors, and bad ones.
What is something you’d like to write, but haven’t yet?
There are so many tropes I’d like to write, and I have a few upcoming stories that will feature them. Examples include: why choose, small town, and best friends brother/brothers best friend.
Which parts of yourself are reflected in your characters?
The anxiety and overthinking.
Which of your characters have special meaning to you?
I think my first FMC Maggie is the most special to me. She has a lot of my personality in her, even my best friend said she couldn’t read the book because she was too much like me.
How do you come up with character names?
Sometimes I use names that have a certain meaning, sometimes the characters come to me with names already.
If I can’t decide on a name, I use discarded baby names from when I was pregnant and my husband vetoed all my choices.
What is something you love to hear from your readers?
I love it when readers relate to my characters. If they can connect with a character, it makes the story so much more enjoyable, and it really makes me feel like I’m a good writer.
When you read, which authors are your go-to authors?
Don’t judge me, but I’m relatively new to the reading world. I used to read maybe a book per year and they were mostly memoirs. So I’ve only been reading consistently for the last couple years, but I have really enjoyed Shayna Astor, Maren Jenner, Dana Sweeney, and Nenia Campbell. Mostly indies and small press.
Where can readers find you online?
My Linktree has all the links for my socials, newsletter, and FB group:
Do you have any current ARCs or free downloads readers might be interested in?
I usually run a free promo whenever my books have their release anniversary, and around my birthday. I will be doing arcs for my next novel but I do not have a date for that quite yet.
What is your latest/upcoming release?
My last release was Mud, Love, and Chemistry: https://a.co/d/i74rvtB